Chapter 68: Chapter 67 - The Person Who Understands Me

Comiket finally ended just before sunset.

The huge crowd began to thin. As booths closed one by one, exhausted artists collapsed into the convention hall in emotional disarray.

And somehow Rika Saionji appeared to be the happiest Kuro had ever seen her.

Rika was not elegant. She was not composed.

Rika was just plain happy.

Rika sat next to her booth quietly counting her leftover manga, as stray pieces of hair fell into her tired face.

Adorable.

Dramatically adorable.

Meanwhile Kuro was stacking up empty boxes that were around.

"...You sold a lot of stuff."

Rika blinked at the numbers when she read them on the clipboard.

"...Yeah."

Once again, a small smile lit up her face.

And for some reason Kuro was surprised by how much simply seeing Rika’s expression affected him.

He realized that Rika never smiled at school.

She only smiled here.

She only smiled when she was being honest about herself.

Nearby, Yuna was stretching.

"Well. My work here is done."

"...You did nothing." Rika quickly replied.

"False. I emotionally supported the development of romance between you two."

"Nobody asked you to."

An accurate reply in all honesty.

Eventually Yuna departed to meet friends elsewhere, leaving just two people in the evening quietness Kuro and Rika stand still.

All of a sudden, the convention hall seemed quieter and more intimate than it did before.

Then, gently,Rika looked over at him.

"Thanks for helping me out today."

"It was fun."

And that was his honest reply.

But then Rika was frozen in place for a moment because Kuro said it with such sincerity and so naturally that she was stunned by it.

"Most people think that this is a strange hobby."

Rika glanced over to the remaining manga stacks next to them.

"Why do they think that?"

Rika took a moment to hesitate.

"Because it’s embarrassing getting emotional about something that isn’t real, and drawing romance , spending all this energy on things that most people don’t even care about."

Her voice carried a tiredness with it, but there was also a sense of loneliness in her tone, like she had been hiding that part of herself from the world for years.

"I don’t think you’re strange for doing it."

Rika turned towards Kuro instantly, and he continued, "It means you care about something. And that doesn’t make it embarrassing."

They were just simple words, but for some reason they struck very deep within Rika’s chest, and it hurt to hear him say those things to her because no one had ever said them to her like that, without judging her in any way.

The lights in the convention center began gradually dimming around them slowly, while the convention center workers cleaned up all the empty aisles near them.

Then, all of a sudden Rika’s quiet little laugh came out.

Kuro was bewildered by her little laugh, and blinked at her.

"What?"

"You naturally say dangerous things."

"Oh, not this again."

"It’s true."

Then, even quieter,

"You make others feel accepted too easily."

The sound of silence filled the air as Kuro was unable to find the words to respond. Truth be told, he did not believe that he was special to anyone however, he wanted Rika to end the process of hiding her true self away from those around her.

He wanted her comfortable, happy, and to see that smile light up her face too many times to count.

It was a dangerous thought, but still no less so.

Slowly, Rika stood up from the booth.

She asked him, "Will you come with me for a moment?"

"Where?" Kuro responded.

"Outside."

Kuro was surprised by her mysterious answer and decided to follow along with her.

Once they stepped outside, the evening air was significantly cooler than inside the convention.

The orange light from the setting sun reflected off of the glass buildings, illuminating the large groups of people carrying items they bought while attending the convention.

Regardless of the noise around them, Rika felt relaxed walking by Kuro’s side.

There was no pressure of expectation, no awkwardness in standing next to one another just presence.

And then, to Kuro’s surprise, Rika stopped suddenly along the riverfront walkway.

The water reflected the light from the city’s many lights, creating an incredibly romantic atmosphere, but also very dangerous.

Rika placed both of her hands lightly on the railing and began to speak to Kuro without looking at him.

"I used to go to events by myself."

"I liked going to them." "But after they were over..."

Rika took a moment to think about how to finish her sentence.

"...I always felt very alone when I went home."

Kuro had an epiphany that Rika was emotionally fulfilled through stories, because they provided emotional places that were missing from her life.

So the girl who seemed perfect and grown up and studious was also lonely.

Kuro spoke softly. "...Not today."

Rika blinked slowly.

Kuro looked at Rika .

"...You looked happy all day."

Then Rika smiled faintly.

"...Because I wasn’t alone today."

Kuro’s heartbeat hurt as he could now feel a warmth in his chest.

A deep realisation, it feels incredibly nice being needed by Rika.

Incredibly nice. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The wind blew gently around the two of them.

Then unexpectedly, Rika moved a little closer to him.

Not close enough to touch each other, but close enough to feel each other’s presence.

Then quietly, almost nervously, asked, "...Can I ask you a question?"

"...Of course."

Rika hesitated. This was a rare moment of hesitation for her.

Then quietly and softly, she asked, "...Why are you always so nice to me?"

An emotional punch.

Kuro stopped and thought for a moment. He had never really thought about the reasons behind why he was so nice to her.

After a few seconds of silence, he said, "...You are important to me."

Rika completely stopped breathing. This was a sentence said naturally, without hesitation, without consideration for how much of an intimate statement this was.

Then just as fast, Kuro figured out he has made a huge mistake and added, "...as a friend."

Very weak recovery! Rika looked downwards after the very weak recovery. She managed a small smile, but her heart raced even faster than before.

She knew that while he may have corrected himself, his first reply felt much truer than the second one.

And beyond that, she was a little bit scared of admitting to herself, but she wanted to believe that it was true.

After some time, Rika looked back over to him again. This time with gentler, warmer eyes; and quietly said something risky.

"You are the first person I wished to share my true self with."

Total emotional devastation to Kuro.

Kuro has a tightness in his chest that hurts now, because all of a sudden this moment became significant, in a way that is not dramatic, not big, not explosive.

They are just two single people, quietly establishing a level of understanding for one another.

And now this level of intimacy that they experienced with one another causes him to feel as if it was more dangerous than any flirting he has ever done.